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St Mary C of E School, Churchill Road, Handsworth

Charlie

Charlie

GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN
St Marys

I went to St. Mary's School in Churchill Road - but that photo was a little before my time even! :) Edit - photo no longer available.
I was there 1946 - 1952 and it was a wonderful school. I remember Mr. Stanley in my last class, his accuracy with throwing the blackboard rubber must have been honed through years of practice. My mom worked in Handsworth Park restaurant and the teachers often went there for their lunch, so I had no chance of getting away with anything. Every Wednesday we had to go to St. Mary's Church, this being a Church of England School. I was baptised there as well. The school didn't do school dinners, so I had to walk to Westiminster Road School for my dinner every day after my mom left home in 1949. Last time I was down that way, St Mary's School was a Muslim Centre, but the building looked exactly the same. After I left, St. Mary's left Churchill Road to a building in Hutton Road, near the Paragon Laundry.
 
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It seems to have moved around quite a bit as it is now on Hamstead Road, up a bit and on the opposite side to the church and just down a bit from the Endwood. My grandson went to the nursery there.
 
My Favourite Teacher

I attended St Mary’s C of E school in Handsworth – I believe this kind of school was a place where every parent would want their child to be, an extension of my home life St Mary’s had a truly caring staff Mr. George (William the Conk) taught me values and ethics to try hard to do my best in school and in all aspect of life. He was an all around great teacher. .

A World War 1 soldier he was in one of those first British tanks to roll over no man’s land in 1916 I believe they captured one of the German trenches.. .

At the stroke of nine a small man wearing a grey pin striped suit gray curly hair high cheek colour, breezed into the classroom – Dutifully we all stand ‘Good morning Sir’ response ‘Good morning, please be seated’ . . .

First order of the day would be prayer usually ‘God be in my head and in my understanding’ but on Fridays half an hour would be spent on catechism and the memorizing of a psalm. Wednesdays during Lent we walked up to the church for a children’s service where sometimes I would be privileged read the lesson. . .

Mental arithmetic followed to sharpen us up . . . Yes; I always raised my hand even when I wasn’t sure of the answer, hopefully Mr. George would take into consideration I was with bothering about.

History was never boring with Mr. George, a bit of an actor, it was fun and lively and his portrayal of one of the most despised men in British history ‘Oliver Cromwell’ has forever left its mark . . .

English and history were the subjects I enjoyed the most – English class Mr. George prefaced with the phrase ‘Read, Mark Learn and Inwardly Digest’ Thomas Hardy.

Literature was fun and interesting, From William Blake’s ‘Little Lamb who made thee ‘to nature poets Wordsworth and Coleridge, we were each given a different poem to memorize for the following week. It was expected that every one of us would learn their poem for we were picked at random to recite it. His desire was for us to become good at presenting effects that go beyond language. His enthusiasm never waned with the desire for us to become good at presenting effects that go beyond language. In other words, he wanted us to become more poetic.

Hence, I owe Mr. George a debt of gratitude for making us children commit to memory those long psalms and poems for the beauty of words has remained with me all of my life.
 
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Thanks Norma - Its amazing what we can remember when committed to memory. It's like we have a little file at the back of the brain where we can just pick out at will. . . . Simply marvellous. . .
 
Edit- post copied from the Handsworth Park thread.

I attended the church many many times growing up because I went to St Mary's School corner of Churchill Rd and Maxwell Avenue - All very happy memories
 
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The picture of St Mary's is very interesting, my Granddad's older brother would have been there then.

We have this picture from a few years later (not sure of the date but granddad was born in 1920 and you'll see he's pointed out in the picture (it's marked Gal, short for Garnet)).
 
Edit - post copied from the Handsworth thread.
....... Went to St Mary's junior and infant school in Church Hill Road (before it moved to Hutton Road and now Hamstead Road) ......
 
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Edit - post moved from St Marys Catholic School thread to here.

For the record, this is the school's history from Britiah History Online :

ST. MARY'S (HANDSWORTH) C. OF E. PRIMARY SCHOOL, Church Hill Road. Handsworth National Sch., adjoining the church, was built for £800 by trustees of Handsworth Bridge Trust in 1812–13 (conveyed to sch. trustees 1860). The management of the sch. was given to a cttee. which included the bridge trustees, who also gave the sch. £20 a year for bibles and prayer books until c. 1850. The sch. was united with the Nat. Soc. 1816. N.o.b. 1820: 195 B, G. Fees 1834: 1d.; the boys received a set of clothes every 2 years and the girls received one every year. In 1846 there were 2 schoolrooms, with a master and mistress and an assistant master.Fees 1859: 1d.–2d. From c. 1869 to 1912 known as Old Handsworth National Sch. New B sch. built c. 1883: total accom. then 489 B, G, I. Reorganized 1892 for M (in new building) and I (in old). Altered 1896. Reorganized 1931 for JI. Accom. for 2 classes provided 1953 in Hutton Road Mission. Became a controlled sch. 1949. Accom. 1961: 4 classrooms, hall.
 
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Edit - post moved from St Mary's Catholic Church Handsworth thread


Vivienne14 said:
For the record, this is the school's history from Britiah History Online :

ST. MARY'S (HANDSWORTH) C. OF E. PRIMARY SCHOOL, Church Hill Road. Handsworth National Sch., adjoining the church, was built for £800 by trustees of Handsworth Bridge Trust in 1812–13 (conveyed to sch. trustees 1860). The management of the sch. was given to a cttee. which included the bridge trustees, who also gave the sch. £20 a year for bibles and prayer books until c. 1850. The sch. was united with the Nat. Soc. 1816. N.o.b. 1820: 195 B, G. Fees 1834: 1d.; the boys received a set of clothes every 2 years and the girls received one every year. In 1846 there were 2 schoolrooms, with a master and mistress and an assistant master.Fees 1859: 1d.–2d. From c. 1869 to 1912 known as Old Handsworth National Sch. New B sch. built c. 1883: total accom. then 489 B, G, I. Reorganized 1892 for M (in new building) and I (in old). Altered 1896. Reorganized 1931 for JI. Accom. for 2 classes provided 1953 in Hutton Road Mission. Became a controlled sch. 1949. Accom. 1961: 4 classrooms, hall.
Click to expand...
This is the Cof E school not Catholic one of the thread title.
 
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Hi Everyone,
Does anyone have a photo of the school please. I have fond memories of attending this school in the 1960's.
 
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